A tension joint typically comprises two or more abutting components joined with one or more tension fittings. The tension fitting may, for example, be a nut and bolt combination.
An aircraft wing typically comprises a wing box structure including front and rear spars, a plurality of ribs extending between the spars, and an upper wing cover and a lower wing cover each extending between the spars.
A wing tip device is a device that may be attached to the outboard end of a wing to reduce induced drag on the wing. In the case of e.g. an aircraft wing this can lead to improved fuel efficiency and reduced carbon emissions. Several different types of wing tip device are known, including the winglet, the wing tip fence, and the raked wing tip for example.
The attachment between the outboard end of an aircraft wing and the inboard end of a wing tip device has traditionally been made using a tension type joint. The tension joint may for example include one or more rows of tension bolts, each row extending in a substantially chord-wise direction.
As wing tip device technology improves, the aerodynamic loads that can beneficially be generated by the wing tip device, and which need to be transferred into the wing, has also increased. However, the area at the outboard end of the wing available for attaching the wing tip device remains relatively small, which poses difficulties in terms of successfully distributing these higher loads. In addition, the weight of the wing tip device may be increased due to the higher loads involved, which poses difficulties in terms of handling the wing tip device during assembly of the wing and during maintenance should the wing tip device need to be removed.